Childhood Memories

He felt victorious climbing on the highest part of the parks steep playgrounds. Sure, he was, as his friends and family called him, a little boy genius, but it didn't matter to him, he was all the same to himself, not realizing what might have been in his future and how he was going to plan it out. His race to the top of the steeple was all that mattered to him, and he succeeded, the power resonated through his body and he felt unbeatable. He loved having the power.

The young boy ignored his parents down on the ground. Well, parent. His father was at a special Interpol meeting once a year and today just happened to be the day he was gone... well, he was going to be in Interpol for a week to catch up on his most recent case. The boy understood some of this, but not much, he was just trying to comprehend the fact and place of a murderer in their society, and the grasp of someone killing other people just for their fortunate gain or not. Like others said, he was an incredibly gifted kid.

"Light, baby, get down from there, you're going to fall and hurt yourself!" A young woman with a two year old latched to her arm called, his mother. A crowd of concerned familys, mothers mostly, were gathered around the tall playground tower and looking up. Light smiled and looked down to his mother, a sign that he was only going to get down when he was asked to.

Behind Light's mother was a sandbox, and in it, a boy. An older boy than he, but none the less, a boy. A rather... peculiar boy. He had a lollypop in one hand and his hair was tousled about. The boy atop the steeple slid down the side with a gasp from his captive audience, and he landed on the wooden floor of the playground. His little feet running as fast as they could. Him in his Sunday dress shirt and pants ran towards the sand box and he came to a halt at the side, looking to the boy intensely.

"Who are you?" he asked strongly, his voice displaying a superior knowledge than that of other five year olds, "I've never seen you around this park, where's your mommy and daddy?" Well, he was only five, after all...

L crouched down in the sandbox, arranging small piles of grain into mounds which counted what he had to do for the day. He had planned to go to the altar to learn more of Japan's culture, for worship was the curtious thing to do on Sundays. Watari had told him otherwise, however. L was to stay safe and distance himself, any socializing was prohibited. He didn't mind; L enjoyed seclusion... he supposed. Being at age twelve, he had just been transfered from the orphanage in England, after the incident with his parents. L didn't want anyone else in his life; Quillish was to be his only friend, and his guardian. He was safe, as was required.

The twelve year old somewhat cringed at hearing such statement which seemed to come from a self-confident little child. L looked over his shoulder and returned a hollow glare at the child. He seemed four or five, but had the pride of the fraternity brothers L met in college when he was seven. "... Are you speaking to me?" L spoke in a voice barely audible. Maybe the child would grow bored and toddle off somewhere more interesting. "Perhaps you-" L's eyes grew wide; he couldn't help tearing up just slightly at the mention of his parents. That fire... L should've been there to help. He agressively rubbed his sleeve against his eyes, sending the hot tears amidst. "Forgive me, a grain of sand must have lodged into my eye. I shouldn't be chatting with you..." One friend. That wasn't too much to ask for, right? Watari wasn't near, he wouldn't get scolded. L sighed and held out his hand for the boy. "My name is Law- ... My name is L. It is a pleasure to meet you." Perhaps he shouldn't be talking with such an adolescent with such a proper tone, though this child might accually have half a mind.

Light's face distorted into a sort of childish smirk, a piece of sand couldn't have gotten in his eye, it even wasn't windy. He had nodded his head when the boy asked whether he was talking to him or not (which, he would like to add, was a might bit obvious), and he crossed his arms in a kind of superior manner. His name was... Ell? Silently, he wondered how the weird name was spelled and finally gave up, deciding that it couldn't obviously be his real name, and was simply a nick name. He never asked his real name.

"I find it hard to believe you shouldn't be talking to me, besides you look lonely over here by yourself. I guess you don't come here much, a lot of the kids are distancing themselves from you," Light noticed, looking behind him as he talked, staring off to the other kids who were wandering around in the park and the parents who had dispersed back out through the area playing and running about with there children. He loved the peace in the park, it was so serene when ever they came, which made it even harder for Light to contemplate murder, but soon enough it would be easy. "Anyway, may I ask how old you are, L?"

L retrieved the expressionless look on his face, to which he couldn't show acceptance or defeat. This child seemed rather... ignorant, though he wouldn't say it to the childs face. Kids cry when they're made fun of...
shouldn't they?
L looked down and let his hand fall by his side. "I'm not allowed to... Besides, children always distance themselves from those they find 'odd' or 'different'... or... an orphan..." L murmered the last word, regretting it in an instant. He wasn't supposed to say anything about his personal life, though he was never told why.

"From what I've been told, I am twelve." L stared at the boy, slightly paranoid. Why was this child asking so many questions? Perhaps L should strike back. "What about yourself?" L bit the edge of his thumb and crept closer, looking down at the child. "What is your name? How long since you were born? If anyone sent you here to ask you these questions, you can always tell me. I keep secrets." L bent his head down and bit into the core of his sucker, sending chunks of crystallized sugar flying. "Why pay attention to me?" L never broke his gaze.

The boy laughed. It was a soft, aloof, airy laugh that shouldn't have come out of a little kids mouth like you would expect. Honestly, you would expect something annoying but you learn for others how to contain yourself, and how to laugh... So, an orphan huh? He though this quietly and imagined what it would be like to not have his parents around, especially his father. Light looked up to his father ten times more than Sayu looked up to Light, which was quite a bit to say the least. The Deputy Chief in the NPA, his father was a huge figure of importance in law enforcement and, unlike other kids who would answer with the same answer when they were asked what they wanted to be when the grew up, Light would answer with 'cop'. No, not a cop, a elite member of the NPA. He wanted to be great.

"Well then, you are a might bit older than I am... Well, you're seven years older to be exact. I'm five, and my name is Light Yagami, born the 28 of February in 1986." He paused for a moment to take a breath and he continued on, "I don't see why you don't trust me. I mean, honestly, no I look bad?"He talked as if he were fifteen, and he knitted his eyebrows in wonderment, "No one told me to ask you these questions, I just thought you looked lonely, and I figured you looked interesting. In conclusion, you simply spiked my interest, L."

L glanced around at the other children in the playground, contemplating what this boy had said. Were they really all distancing themselves? Not that he cared, of course. Watari was all he needed, and you don't need friends to be sucessful. So why was this child trying to be friends? He was only five and he seemed to have the mental capacity of atleast a ten year old. Doesn't he wish to be sucessful, too? L looked the kid over, surveying him. He was dressed rather nicely, his mother probably left the clothes neatly folded on his bed the night before. L imagined a woman picking himself up and dressing him for the day. He would be comforted by her touch, her smile, as they laughed and joked around... Watari was all he needed. All he needed.

"I'm sorry for being so rude... Light Yagami-chan. I was taught not to trust others, socializing is hazardous. No one is to know anything of me other than my name, L." L struggled to hide his accent. He had only been studying Japanese for four years before moving from England, and Watari had told him to drop such an attrocious habit. "Lonely... I see... Thank you very much for chatting with me, Light. You're very... kawaii for doing so. Though..." L glanced around the park, biting his thumb. "I do hope Quill- ... Watari doesn't see me covorting with you, it would be troublesome..."

(I BLAME AUSTRIA)

Chan... Light's face bunched up and he stared seriously into L's eyes. Who was this boy? Or in other ways, who did this boy think he was? Obviously, he was just trying to be condecending and rude to a little boy who probably didn't know any better, so Light sighed. He crossed his little arms in front of this body and looked down into the sand the boy was sitting in. Some sand, it could hardly be played with like the nice, wet sand at the beach could... this sand was dry and sparce. Someone in their right mind would bring a bottle of water if they actually wanted to play with the sand the correct way, but Light could tell that's not what the boy's intention was. He wasn't there to build something, more like he was just there to pass spare, useless time.

"You sound very odd, L. Not like I didn't expect something like that at first with I first spotted you from on top of the playground but... Yes. You're odd indeed. I must bring to your attention, also, that I'd prefer not to be called kawaii as I am... not." Light choked inwardly at the word. In no way was he 'kawaii' or cute. He refused to be thought of as cute, cute was a girl's word, wasn't it? Sure it was, L had no reason of calling in 'cute' on any terms. "By the way, L, who is this Watari person? Your handler?"

(ROFL HANDLER *breaks out into violent fits of laughter*)

L kept his gaze locked on the child before him. He could see Light's thoughts towards him, for his face was as easy to read as a children's nursery rhyme. Light thought little of L, nothing more. L knew and understood very well that he was different, though he hid all personality. He was attempting to be dull and boring in hopes the child might just leave. Watari had said not to make a friend, and his rules should be obeyed...

L simply shrugged and kept his voice low. "Well, you would prefer me not to do so, as I do not wish for you to call me odd. Respect your elders, Light, for it is rude to call someone names." He twirled his candy stick around through his fingers. "Do forgive me, but I've only gone through four years of Japanese. I only hope you will be able to understand me." L glanced down, thrusting his toes into the grainy abyss. Perhaps, he thought, this Light would be useful as a... an accomplice.

L thought for a second, deciding on how to describe Watari. Of course, he was a guardian, and a great one at that. He provided food, shelter, as well as a wonderful job and occupation. Though his rules were a bit... different, they were made to keep L safe. "I suppose he has the title of being my guardian. He feeds me and teaches me what I need to comprehend..." L paused. He stared at Light and spoke softly. "Light... what is it like to have parents?"

"Also... Light-chan," He glanced up toward the playground before him; the children seemed to be enjoying themselves, so... "... would you mind if, perhaps, we were to occupy ourselves on that... playground? We could play together...?" L only hoped he was trying to get his word out correctly. He deserved a friend after everything. Work would come at a later time, anyways, for he was left at the park for the day. For now...

Play first, fight crime later.

"I'm pretty sure you're aware that you know your Japanese unless you lack confidence (arrogance)." Light replied to L's act of modesty. Four years was a long time to study Japanese, almost as long as the boy had been alive. Four years was enough time for Light to grow up and join kindergarten, it was a long enough time for him to realize what he wanted to do when he grew up, and it wasn't a firefighter OR an astronaut. Light blinked and sat his little tushie down on the wooden box which contained the sand.

He thought for a second about L's question and how it would feel not to have parents around all the time... Or any of the time to be exact.

Light couldn't even imagine the thought of his parents not being around, or for his sister not to be around... Light blinked and looked over his shoulder to his mother and his little sister, then he turned back to L. "It would be hard believing that I wouldn't have my father around, he's my one idol." light stared at the ground for a second then pushed a little bit of sand over to L with his toe. He held up one finger to L and ran over to his mom, grabbing a bottle of water, and coming back. Light poured the small water bottle over a portion of the sand and sat the water bottle back down on the wooden fram of the sand box. "See, the sand is much better this way." light told L, smiling and pushing the sand into a cylindrical shape, "you can make things like towers, structures, and all sorts of other interesting things."

After Light finished making a perfect circular shape in the sand, he knocked it apart and looked up to L, smiling, "Now you try!"

L bit down on his thumb precariously, letting it hang against his lip. He mumbled as he spoke, staring off into the distance. "I suppose. This is rather interesting, Light. I have never once been able to hold a decent conversation with a five year old before." He thought back to the children currently at Wammy's house. They were intelligent, of course, though L could never talk to them for more than a minute. The children always drifted away; He could hear them always mumbling to each other. Who was that strange kid? Was he mad at us, or just being weird? L sighed, breaking his thoughts. He was supposed to be having fun right now, not sinking himself towards depression.

"Hm..." L nodded, yawning a bit and releasing his thumb to rub his eyes. "I feel the same way about Watari, so I see where you're coming from. I guess the two are not much different, a parent and a guardian." He glanced up at the child as he was running to his mother, curious as to what he was doing. He stared at Light's mother and little sister for a moment, his thumb hanging just under his chin. L quickly snapped out of his gaze when Light had returned, watching what he was doing with the sand silently.
He tilted his head as Light was finished, staring at the mound of damp sand. "Alright, do I just... craft something...?" L rested his chin against his thumb as he began to move the sand around with his pointer finger, moving the sand around. Webbed feet, wide eyes, squatted... "... I suppose I made a frog." L stared at the goofy sand structure staring back at him and started to laugh. Light and airy, like a child should. He covered his mouth, attempting to silence himself which made him sound funny and cause him to laugh louder, his hands falling to his sides. He took a moment to calm down, shaking his head and staring at Light. "F... Forgive me, I don't usually act this way. I don't even see how I found a frog to be humerous."